On her boyfriend Sean Penn: “Look, we’re dating, and I don’t think we were trying to hide anything. We were photographed; the relationship was kind of written about… What I will say is, I was single for a really long time. I was enjoying mommyhood. You just naturally become kind of selfish about your time, and all of it is dedicated to this little thing, whether he needs it or not. And then they get into more of a schedule and you start to think, Wow, wait a second. There’s this passionate creature in me. And going about dating in your late 30s is such a different ball game. I know so well what I want to fit in my life. And the simple answer to that is: Unless he can make my life better? My life is really pretty f–king good.”

On how their relationship began: “I really didn’t see it coming. Sean and I have known each other for eighteen years. We were just really good friends. And it’s been slow going because you are aware that you could screw that up and lose it. We had to think about it. But at the end of the day, it was somewhat effortless. It just kind of naturally happened, and before I knew it, I was in something that was making my life better—the people who really love me can see the effect it has had on me.”

On the idea of marriage: “I really do understand the importance and what that ceremony represents to so many people, but it’s just such a personal thing. Let’s put it this way: I never had the dream of the white dress. And watching other people getting married? I think it’s beautiful for them, but to be quite honest, usually I’m sitting there just devastated. It’s supposed to be this night of celebrating love, and all you see is a couple separated all night making sure everybody else is OK. It just looks like a lot of work. And as you get older, you start sifting through the stuff that really matters.”

Christian Dior Fall 2014 Collection

Céline Spring 2014 Collection

We don’t much like either dress, but it really doesn’t matter. Such is the power of Charlize.

She’s comfortable with herself and her place in the world, she sells the dresses with her personality, unlike her polar opposite, Blake Lively, who sells the dress by being as close to a mannequin as possible (a good looking one, but still)

alyce1213

The cover is kind of — natural? — for Vogue. Also, the shot on the boat. She looks like an actual person, herself, photographed in natural light rather than a photoshopped statue. Could someone be listening?
I don’t like the clothes much, but she looks better than either model. Such is the power . . .

juniper

instead of listening, they could just be getting better at photoshop unfortunately.

Vtg Fashion Library

It should be a crime to photoshop The Goddess Charlize. A CRIME.

lundibleu

She looks so much better than the models. I’d like to think that they’re learning and not photoshopping, but who knows. Maybe she insisted on it not being as done as others.

Interestingly, I don’t like either dress on the runway, but I like the Dior on Charlize. The Celine, though… I suppose a boat is really the only place you may need a dress with a built in fishing net. Not entirely sure I can imagine her dangling her dress overboard to catch dinner, but I guess if really desperate…

MartyBellerMask

And she sounds like a genuine person too. WIN all around.

KingCrazy

Love her. Hate him. Wish the best for her.

Oh yeah, and BOW DOWN. She’s gorge, as always.

marlie

Please don’t hate me for saying that I’m underwhelmed! Charlize is beautiful of course, but the photos fall short for me.

SugarSnap108

No hate here. I agree. She’s gorgeous, but the clothes are hiddy and the shots are just OK.

Carleenml

agreed. I didn’t know it was possible but Charlize can look “meh.”

Kitten Mittons

Not as great as some shots we’ve seen of her. Those clothes are pretty bad, though, so I cut her some slack.
I really really really want those shoes the Celine model is wearing.

marlie

They’re all yours.

CPK1

I agree. I have seen more wow factor in candid paparazzi shots of her. She is just so preternaturally gorgeous, I guess I wanted to see something incredible

Alloy Jane

I hate the hair too much to be properly bothered by those silly dresses.

Tanya Wade

I would say she’s giving Robin Wright realness, but that just seems wrong. Still, there’s no denying the resemblance in hair, makeup and styling.

Frank_821

Good lord what has happened to Dior.

It says a lot about Ms Theron that she can distract us from these hack pieces

lundibleu

It says something about the state of Dior that I looked at it and thought “well this isn’t bad…”

Monabel

Not AS bad.

lundibleu

Exactly, it’s a sliding scale of “rather ugly” to “OHMYGODWHATTHEHOLYFUCKISTHAT?”

Shawn EH

I dunno, it’s weird, I kind of love the idea of her and Sean together. He does like a leggy blonde.

bitchybitchybitchy

Robin Wright is on the cover of Town and Country, with accompanying article. She did a polite but firm no comment on Penn, which I respect.

Shawn EH

Well, maybe she’s pretty happy with her life about now, too. Hit show, lots of awards respect, fun days at the office with Kevin Spacey …

Lori

Engaged to a guy who’s not a self-important jackhole.

Yeah, I’d say Robin Wright is doing fine.

bitchybitchybitchy

Yes, lots of good things in Robin Wright’s life right now, including a fiancee.

BlairBear

Just look at how Robin looked with Sean and how she looks post Sean. It makes me think of the Oscar Wilde line her hair is golden with grief.

MartyBellerMask

Who the hell want to talk about their ex, anyway. Well, actually, probably a lot of people do, but not the classy ones.

bitchybitchybitchy

I appreciated that Wright chose to say No comment. Whatever her life with Sean Penn was like, they had two children together, and I’m presuming that they both want to maintain good relations with the kids, hence badmouthing each other would complicate that.

ashtangajunkie

Terrible dresses and I don’t love these shots of her, but I could still look at her all day. She’s such a beauty.

FibonacciSequins

What did Vogue do to her torso in the first shot? It’s the cover for God’s sake – get it right!

Pennymac

Scrolled back up and squinted after reading your comment. I believe they gave her photo shop scoliosis. Awful!

nycfan

I had same thought until I saw it on the model. Likely some photoshopping involved, b/c there always is now, but the dress also does very funky things to the torso of the model on the runway. Weird.

MilaXX

The stylist for this shoot picked the right way to show off 2 not so great dresses.

kimmeister

It’s amazing that anything could be done with that ridiculous Celine dress at all. I have to give some credit to the really cool structure of that boat.

Danielle

That Celine reminds me of the hanging plant holders my nana used to have in her apartment.

Chartreusite

Charlize always wears dior better than jlaw…

Lori

JLaw almost always looks good in Dior in editorials and ‘m not sure how terrific Charlize would look in either of these in any remotely real world setting.

bitchybitchybitchy

Charlize is almost making that second dress work, and that is simply because she is Charlize.

demidaemon

It’s true. And I love it.

boweryboy

I would like the second dress if she wore the tunic like the model’s (minus the ridiculous yellow sweater/apron/belt thingy). It doesn’t translate well with a body hugging ’90s tankdress.

As for Dior, as long as Simons is in charge, the dresses will always be a shitstorm of crap to me.

Sobaika

She is such a stunner, but neither shot is quite as beautiful as I would expect. Charlize + Vogue should be a slam dunk.

Latin Buddy

Ugh. Lace-up dress? Dior? Again, when they do fire Raf, he’s just going be smug and say the world didn’t “get” his designs. Sweetie, it’s aesthetically not pleasing.

charlotte

She didn’t see it coming? Neither did we!

tallgirl1204

And exactly why is she devastated at weddings? Watching the bride and groom separate while they work the room? I find that confusing. If that is her bar for devastation, it’s set pretty low.

wisdomy

Meh, I hate weddings, but how I feel about weddings is different than how I feel about marriage, and conflating the two is a dangerous mistake that far too many people make.

That said, I’m completely on board (as an older lady) with “Does this make my life better?” because if it doesn’t, what on earth could I need it for?

Sabin

I’m stuck at “Sean Penn makes her life better? Wow.”

nannypoo

I hate weddings but I have never found myself devastated over the issue of the bride and groom working the room. Apparently I am made of tougher stuff than Charlize Theron. Now, if I had to sit through one with Sean Penn at my side, that might be devastating.

melisaurus

Maybe she’s just really introverted. Having to entertain 100+ people can be very stressful for an introvert even if they’re friends,

MissusBee

This. I had a standard sort of wedding and, as an introvert, didn’t really enjoy it but I thought I’d be letting friends and family down if I didn’t tick the boxes. The honeymoon was no-frills, but finally I could breathe! And the marriage is the best part.

Lori

I’m pretty introverted in person and I would never describe myself as “devastated” by watching other people work a room. I’m not sure what she was trying to express, but she used a very odd word choice.

Alloy Jane

I get what she’s saying. A wedding is supposed to celebrate uniting with someone you love, but some weddings are nothing more than a giant, expensive party where the bride and groom have to play host to other people’s entertainment. I’m guessing the only weddings she’s been to are those kind and she expects that they’re all like that. Thankfully they aren’t, but if that’s all you know then it would be difficult to envision a wedding that wasn’t a tedious chore to participate in.

I hate hosting parties, by the way. Hate hate hate it. I love helping other people with theirs though.

demidaemon

I actually really enjoyed her comment, because it is rife with intelligent social commentary. It actually made me think about the subject in a new way, which is a lot more than I usually get out of these soundbites.

Spicytomato1

I got stuck on “devastated,” too, seems a bit hyperbolic. I could see being “dismayed” or maybe “unsettled” at seeing a just-wed couple having to spend some time apart for a couple hours, but hopefully she realizes that it probably isn’t hurting them as much as it apparently hurts her. I’ve come to realize that weddings are indeed often about more people than just the bride and groom (my own included a few things not important to me but apparently crucial to my mom) and that’s ok if it means keeping family relations harmonious.

alyce1213

“Devastated” is actor hyperbole. You know, because dismayed or unsettled isn’t enough.

Violina23

I dunno, I had an awesome time at my wedding. And yes, we weren’t pinned to each other’s sides the entire time, but it was a celebration shared with the people who we cared about. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much, and my feet hurt from dancing. But, I feel like I kept myself grounded during the planning process. I kept saying “If my life peaks at my wedding day, I have bigger problems”.

She’s entitled to dislike weddings for whatever reason she wants, but she is making an awful lot of assumptions about other people’s motivations. For some people it really is just about sharing & celebrating their union & happiness with those they care about, and that’s all.

MartyBellerMask

I’m sure she said *much more* than that. I take these interviews very lightly, because who knows the exact context.

sienna elm

LOVE that first dress – but I’m completely terrorized by the styling of the Celine model.

IraKi

I think she should break up with Pen. He’s not right for her. There I said it!

Trickytrisha

She’s not been done any favors by Vogue. They’ve managed to make one of the most gorgeous women in the world look drab and deformed (first pic), unlike herself (second pic) and shallow (in the interview).

http://phantomminuet.blogspot.com/ MinAgain

I love both dresses…on Charlize.

what not

The cover dress looks like a football.

CPK1

And the bottom of the Celine dress looks like a basketball net. So maybe they were pursuing a random sports metaphor?

KT

Love her. She seems to really know what she wants, and is totally secure in that. How many celebrities (or people in general) can you say that about? She also seems pretty insightful, and like she actually has her own point of view, rather than saying some manufactured crap that someone paid her to say (but then again, my cynical side thinks that could also be totally calculated). Regardless, she doesn’t sound like an asshole, so cheers to that.

I hate the first dress and feel like they could found something SOOO much better for her. Fuck you, Dior. The second dress is better by comparison, mostly because it’s being utilized in a south-of-France-minimalist-chic kind of way, but it’s still pretty underwhelming. Basketball nets should never be turned into dresses. Someone write that down.

decormaven

One gorgeous woman, who can sell anything with her presence. Not a fan of either dress, but her commitment to each look makes them work for me.

YousmelllikeAnnaWintour

Those are 2 ugly dresses, but she makes them sing. And she sounds happy, so good for her.

Glammie

I swear they picked that first dress because Charlize is one of the very few who can rock a whacky neckline. So I like it–on her–but not as much as I like her last sea-themed Vogue cover spread.

And never-ever gonna figure out dating Sean Penn.

Fuchsiaforever

Somebody forgot to comb her hair on the cover! Her messy hair is making me twitch!

MaggieMae

Not loving the hair styling or color.

a_liking

something about the way her torso is bending, the placement of her breasts, and the stitching on the cover dress are super freaking me out. her body looks weird. and that is not something we should be thinking about someone so classically beautiful!

schadenfreudelicious

The bottom of that second dress on the model looks like the material Apple Pears are wrapped in…I just cannot with Sean Penn but apparently Charlize can…

quiltrx

She’s so ethereally gorgeous…but whoever styled her was desperately trying to make her look less so, weren’t they?

Twix

Falling asleep here.

poodle66

She does say that she’s known him a long time so that should count for something. People do connect at various times in their lives after knowing the person awhile. Timing is everything. Gable and Lombard didn’t connect until years after making a movie together.

demidaemon

I love the second photo much more than the first.

Judih1

That is the best Dior frock I’ve seen in a while, and she is really selling it!

http://www.bertkeeter.com Bert Keeter

STAR!

in a pickle

Wow, that dress and styling on the second model. Just, slack jawed with wtf.

Edie Rose

That ‘wispy’ fringe pasted onto her forehead.
Delightful.

Janice Bartels

Sneaker dress and lobster trap dress. Charlize is lovely, though.

Crystal

I think Sean Penn is gross. As are that model’s bangs.

MarissaLG

Terrible clothes, perfect model.

BlairBear

She is so beautiful that it just makes it all the more apparent that those dresses are awkward and underwhelming.

Malia C.

Holy crap, I’m doing a Homer Simpson foot dance. I want my Mad Style

Leah Elzinga

“oh HONEY. You’re a model!”

KinoEye

It’s hard to make the Goddess Theron look bad, but I’m in agreement with the others who say these aren’t the greatest pictures I’ve seen of her. Even so, girl can give face like nobody’s business. I’m kind of amused that something as simple as a newly married couple splitting up to work the room DEVASTATES her, though. I mean, they’ve got the rest of the marriage to be attached at the hip — surely a few hours of sporadic interaction won’t doom the relationship.

Kitten Mittons

I’m really hoping there was more context to that quote, because I like to think of her as pretty intelligent, and it’s too early today to have any illusions shattered. That last quote was a bit of a needle scratch, not to mention that the way it’s presented it looks like she was asked for her thoughts about marriage, and answered about weddings. That always makes me kind of bitey.

CT14

She makes those dresses work.

Which is amazing.

Imasewsure

She’s kind of badass in a quiet way which I have always really liked. It’s also nice that she can actually model… and she was in Arrested Development so that means even if she couldn’t, I would still love these…

Sunraya

How bizarre – “I didn’t see it coming.” With his history of beating women, that is a really ironic thing to say.